Crostata di Prugne al Mascarpone | Mascarpone Plum Tart

I admire the skills of a great baker, of which I am not. But it is satisfying to bake up something creative and delicious, so I have learned to keep it simple. Using a good-quality puff pastry found in the freezer section of the market makes this recipe a breeze to whip up. This tart has a sweet and savory element thanks to the cheese and pepper baked with the sweet tartness of the plums. I like to have a glass of Madonna Nera Rosso di Montalcino with this scrumptious pastry.

To make this vegan-friendly, substitute the mascarpone with plant-based cream cheese or ricotta. I use Kite Hill.

Receipt Date: August 12, 2020

Difficulty: Easy

Measurements: Imperial (US)

See ingredients, directions and pairings.

Ingredients

1 Sheet of Puff Pastry, thawed

5 Ripe Plums, pitted and sliced evenly to 1/4-1/2" thick

1 cup Mascarpone

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the puff pastry onto a large piece of parchment paper, creating a long rectangle shape. Carefully transfer the parchment paper and pastry to a baking sheet. Combine the Mascarpone, vanilla extract, and black pepper in a bowl. Smear a thin layer of the cheese mixture over the pastry dough, leaving an inch around the perimeter to create a crust. Arrange the plums on top of the cheese layer. I like to make symmetric rows. Fold over the perimeter dough and pinch together to create a crust. Sprinkle sea salt flakes all over the top of the crust and plums. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and plums are tender. Cool on a rack before slicing.